Across from Hinckleys Pond in Harwich, a small viewing platform off the Cape Cod Rail Trail allows bikers to stop and take a look at the nearby marshes.

Planners tout Cape Cod Rail Trail extension

By JASON COOK

jcook@capecodonline.com

February 22, 2013 - 2:00 AM

WEST YARMOUTH — Used by thousands of residents and tourists alike in the summer, the Cape Cod Rail Trail may be getting a multimillion-dollar extension, with the goal of tires hitting pavement by 2020.Presenting a map of a proposed new route through Yarmouth and Barnstable, Joseph Magni, senior project manager of transportation and land development company Vanasse Hangen Brustlin Inc., explained details of the project and answered questions from residents at the Yarmouth police station Thursday.Adding 6 miles to the 22-mile trail, which runs from South Dennis to Wellfleet, is a large undertaking, according to Magni, and will cost some $11 million. "It's a very big number," he said, and to help lessen the financial strain, a multiphase plan for the newest extension is being proposed.

Magni described the route to the audience, with two possibilities for how it's constructed.In the first scenario, a rail trail leg would run from Station Avenue to Mary Dunn Road in Barnstable Village, and the second from there to Route 132 in Hyannis, he said.The first part of this plan would cost $6.4 million, Magni said, the second, $4.6 million. The money — which would come from the state and federal Transportation Improvement Program — would most likely be split over two years during each phase, he said.An alternative proposal, which calls for a three-stage project, would begin at Station Avenue and continue Higgins Crowell Road, go on to Mary Dunn Road and finish at Route 132, Magni said. The three parts of this plan would cost $2.5 million, $5.4 million and $3.1 million, respectively, he said.An already planned 4-mile extension of the trail, for which $8 million has been allocated, is going to run from Route 134 in Dennis to Old Townhouse Road in Yarmouth. Construction could begin as early as 2014, Magni said. The proposed extension described Thursday would begin where this one ends.The latest proposal still faces a number of approvals by various groups before becoming a reality. The state Department of Transportation and the Cape Cod Commission would need to approve one of the two plans before moving forward, Magni said.Submitting a funding plan and having it approved, getting representation at the state level, and then designing the path are all steps that would follow, he said.If all goes smoothly, the extension could be completed by 2020.Proposed plans would not only support biking, walking and baby carriage use, but also feature multiple parking lots and connection points to local shopping areas, Magni said. The new paths would be 12-feet wide, with 3-foot shoulders on each side, he added. Areas where cyclists would "share the road" would have additional space between bikes and cars, Magni said.But there were concerns raised by some of the roughly 30 people in attendance at the meeting.The part of the path that dips down along Mary Dunn Road and runs along Independence Drive was an issue for Bob Majewski, a business owner from South Yarmouth. "I think people are just going to cut through Independence," he said.Although Magni said the extension will offer access points to local businesses, Doug Payson, a Realtor from Brewster, is not so sure. "It's more recreational," he said, adding that he feels the path's access to shopping areas is not easy enough.Calling the Cape "10 years behind everywhere else in the United States," Payson is still optimistic about the extension."Anything is better than nothing," he said.